Yes, that sound coming from Rockford is a ukulele

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) - The sound of a musical instrument most often associated with Hawaii is being heard a lot more in Rockford these days.

The Rockford Register Star (http://bit.ly/1zYtqxU ) reports that thanks to a Golden Apple Classroom Project Grant, a teacher at Bloom Elementary School was able to buy 25 ukuleles for her music students.

Teacher Jill Tartaglia says the ukulele offers a great way to teach students about melody, chords as well as singing and playing together. She says the kids have really taken to the instrument - something that's obvious to principal Heather Novak when she hears them talking about it at lunch and during recess.

Novak also says learning about notes and how long to hold notes helps kids learn about other things like fractions.